Beware the knife!

Very interesting. At first I thought that jumping to such a conclusion has the potential to escalate a situation and cause undue issues for oneself and the person being dealt with. On second thought we as aikidoka have this ability to treat all attacks as though the attacker has a weapon anyway, as the techniques we practice empty handed are also the same when confronted with a tanto or bokken. This is something I would like to look at more in my training to make sure I appreciate at all times that the empty handed techniques I perform take into account the possibility of a weapon.

Aikido teaches one of the key principles in conflict: Ma-Ai (distance and timing). Use of spear/staff, sword, short sword, knife and empty hand. Continued repetition of techniques both armed and unarmed helps us to recognise, appreciate and incorporate distance and its importance in dealing, and surviving, violence.

The adage of assuming everyone is carrying a blade makes sense and to be honest makes very little difference to the way we train. We always treat each weapon as an extension of the hand and in essence our movements remain the same (the hips still turn, we still maximise our maneuverability through the triangle and our power through the square).

Picking up on both Shona’s (i) and Dan’s (ii) comments:

(i) yes it can seem as potentially escalating a situation but in conflict tactics it is easier to reduce/lessen after implementing one at a higher level than the other way round. There is a strong psychological advantage aswell both for yourself (not surprised or shocked) and for your opponent who loses the “advantage”.

(ii) The number of people “carrying” blades (particularly in 16 to 26 year olds) is surprising and equally surprising is the lack of compunction for doing so.

One of the biggest issues that people seem to underestimate is the potential lethality of the blade. There is also is a commonly held view that a person armed with a knife is less dangerous than a person armed with a firearm. The truth is that within their practical ranges both weapons are capable of fatal life stopping wounds.

Here are some statistics gathered from UK and US/Canada Law enforcement:

In the U.K. edged weapon assaults are the most commonly used weapon for killing people and in half the incidents of muggings on men the offender is armed with a sharp instrument

In the U.S. & Canada there is a 1 in 3 chance that if faced with a subject who had an edged weapon, you will be attacked and injured.

• Attacks with edged weapons usually occurred when the vicitm least expected them

• In 1994, out of the 7 murders in Victoria, Canada 6 were committed with knives

• The majority of “street” type people carry some kind of edged weapon be it legal or illegal

• Of subjects stabbed, 30% die from their wounds

• The most popular assault technique utilized by the attacker was found to be the hammer strike – either straight down or diagonally

• The victim tends to squat in an effort to take a path which offers perceived escape

• Many people seldom saw the edged weapon that penetrated their body.

• Knife attacks were found to be exceptionally accurate, to pentrate deeper that some bullets, creating remarkable permanent cavities and rip through numerous organs in one stroke

• In reality, within their respective ranges, knives are superior to firearms as far as lethality is concerned

Also in terms of autopsies involving a bladed/edged weapon.

• Typical death of a stab wound in murder cases is 1 inch to 1.5 inches through the rib cage

• In most edged weapon attacks the victim received multiple knife wounds. The usual cause of death are usually the last few wounds of the overall attack

• Even short bladed knives can penetrate the abdomen by 8-10cm

• 3cm allows penetration of the ribs

• 4cm allows penetration of the heart

• because of the small surface area of a knife, the amount of force per unit area is TONS per square inch

Chilling reading.

Hello everyone im Jay or affectionately known as Big Jay by most...ive had 15 years experience as a doorman at various venues over the years and i do think that knife crime should be punished severely and to name but one incident where i witnessed a 16 year old boy die in my colleagues arms i think the book should be thrown at these vile beings that carry and use knives and weapons

Its probably me posting both times im a bit of a techno phobe numpty

Is there no way there could be an implementation of licencing for knives as there is for firearms? Make it an offence to own a knife of a certain size etc without a licence, stores having to verify their customers and owners to have a valid reason to posess such a weapon or would it be just too difficult to enforce? After doing a bit of reading and discovering things such as the WASP knife, although not hugely prevelant in the UK, it's a very scary prospect. I think it's crazy that I need a licence to purchase air rifles and pistols from a local hunting shop yet I can get my hands on substantial knives, machetes and the like with no questions asked.

Sky news today. Topical and illustrates the problem.


Exclusive: Crackdown To Get Knives Off Streets
news.sky.com/story/1637700/exclusive-crackdown-to-get-knives-off-streets

8 knife related murders in the first 6 weeks of this year in the UK!